OctoberFest Bacolod Style: MassKara Festival Guide

by George Pontino Jr. 

Note: With Updated MassKara Schedule of Events

October is here and it spells M-A-S-S-KA-R-A!

Well, when September ends Bacolod seems to wake up from a slumber called tiempos muertos (sugarcane industry term for dead season) and the city begins to widen its smile as it welcomes its most colorful month: October. 

The fun fever of MassKara Festival rises up when you start to see colorful flaglets along Tourism strip (Lacson st.), red kiosks at the plaza and Bacolod Government Center, exhibits in malls and banners around the city...of smiles. Read on..

MassKara Festival is an annual celebration of the capital city of Negros Occidental with the main highlight of street dancing tilt among groups or barangays. Though every year there are different kind of surprises, usually, it depends on the creativity of the people (and budget) behind the event. For two weeks since the opening, MassKara will be a scene filled with happiness along the street. So, if you're planning to experience MassKara Festival yourself, you have to book early on (see my hotel guide below) Fact: As early as late September, most of the hotels are SOLD OUT. My tip for you is to book the earlier the better.

If you are a first time visitor in the island, expect fun-filled activities like star-studded mall events, local art showcase, trades and exhibits in venues like SMX at SM, street party, merry making and fireworks contest, street food fest (yup, lots of chicken inasal) and not to mention OctoBEERfest (yup, lots of beer), DJ and bands and more events scattered in some venues like the Bacolod Public Plaza, the malls, Bacolod Government Center (formerly called New Negros Government Center or NGC), Villa Angela Marketplace and even at the Bay's area. 

On Oct 10,  Bacolod Government Center turns 10 this year

and will celebrate its anniversary on the 10th of the month. 

That's 10/10/2108 on your calendar. 

On Oct 26, it's a TGIF-kind of festivity as the 6100 Music Fest, featuring IV of Spades and array of DJs, will rock and move you at the Market Place Festival Grounds (see map below). If you're new in the city, the site is just at the back of the Bacolod City Hall which is popularly called Bacolod Government Center (BGC) or its old name NGC, in abbreviation form of New Government Center. Grab your tickets now.

Oh, by the way, folks, in case you wonder, 6100 is based on Bacolod's zip code.

On the other hand, mask-making contests, body painting and MassKara costume competitions are usually held in various venues and you will usually see creative students of LCC vie for the top spots. Bringing cuteness to the festivities are the manga fans or Anime groups of Bacolod who get to strut their favorite cosplay costumes in malls and along Tourism strip (Lacson St - See map below at the end of this blog). These cosplayers are brave enough to don costumes from silly suits to awesome characters in the name of pure fun and love of Anime. 

A trip to the malls will yield some exhibits, events and surprises.

(Above, Robinsons Mall MassKara exhibits and 

Below, Cosplayers at 888 Chinatown Square)

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MASSKARA FESTIVAL 2018 HIGHLIGHTS

October 8 Festival Opening
October 10 Celebrating the 10th year of the BGC on the 10th year on the 10th month
October 13 MassKara Red Party at Bacolod Government Center
October 19 Search for MassKara Queen 2018 at SMX Convention Center

October 26 Electric MassKara Performing / Electric Zumba sa MassKara / Floats Competition /Street Party, 5pm Tourism Strip  Lacson 
October 27 Street Dance and Arena Competitions – School Category
                    2pm, Araneta Street and Bacolod Public Plaza
                    Electric Masskara Performing Floats Competition
                    5pm Tourism Strip  Lacson 
October 28 Street Dance and Arena Competitions – Barangay Category 
                    2pm, Araneta Street and Bacolod Public Plaza
                    Electric MassKara
                    5pm Tourism Strip  Lacson 
           
Source: Masskara Festival Official Website: https://masskarafestival.ph/

Beauty and the beats. Cosplayers and drumbeaters at Lacson Strip.

Note that the pictures shown here were from my past MassKara Festival photography files and  I guess it's nice to share them once again since every year tells a different story. But what makes the festival memorable from year to year is meeting strangers, locals and foreigners alike, and relatives who become your instant friends when all you have is one common ground and that is having fun. See my tips of what to do in Bacolod during MassKara below.

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HOW TO GET TO BACOLOD?

• By Plane - Philippine Airlines or Cebu Pac (lands in Silay city) - approx. 45 minutes from Manila and 25 minutes from Cebu.. Mactan Airport.  From the Silay-Bacolod International Airport, you will traverse either the main old road or the airport road (Circumferential Road) to reach Lacson st. Taxicabs and vans for groups are available at the airport.
• By Ceres Bus or private car - travel time depends on the route and vehicle's speed -- via San Carlos and Don Salvador Benedicto (Nautical Highway)  and Mabinay (South) via Sagay (North).
• By RORO vessels  - approx. two-hour ride from Iloilo Port terminal to BREDCO pier depending on the weather and speed of the vessel.
• By Fast Ferry - approx. 1 hour ride from Iloilo Port to BREDCO pier, depends on the weather and speed of the craft.

WHERE TO STAY DURING MASSKARA Month

HIGH END hotels 
SEDA Capitol Central
This  Ayala-brand hotel, built just beside the Capitol Lagoon, stands firm with its modern design.  It is in a prime location where MassKara night events are also held and attended by a flood of local and foreign merrymakers .

 

L'Fisher Hotel, Bacolod

This luxurius hotel is located at the heart of the MassKara Festival party strip where food stalls and bands along Lacson St. give the colorful vibes for weeks of exciting Mid-October night life.

The SugarLand Hotel

Located near the old airport, The Sugarland Hotel is one of Bacolod's heritage hotels where luxury and comfort is at its best, too. The place is an escape from the sounds and vibrations of Masskara festivities happening at the Lacson st. MassKara strip where beer and bands go together.

(for MID-SIZE HOTELS and Inns see below)

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WHAT TO DO IN BACOLOD DURING THE FESTIVAL WEEKS

1. Visit neighboring Negros' heritage sites like The Ruins in Talisay City and Balay Negrense and other old houses in Silay City, the Paris of Negros.

2. Watch and photograph the MassKara Dance  highlights - dance parade and dance competition at a given venue but usually it's alway the Bacolod Public Plaza.

3. Bring your selfie stick, DSLR or GoPro cameras with you and go to the so-called Lacson Strip where the main night life of Masskara Festival happens. Eat, drink, take photos, have a face paint, smile, dance at the street with friends and even strangers. Of course, be careful with your stuff and self, too since you are amidst a flood of happy people enjoying the night away as much as you do. 

4. Eat out Bacolod cuisines specially the Bacolod Chicken Inasal in local restaurants (Read here for my Resto tips)
5. During the day, rent a van and escape from the city for a while and breathe fresh air by going to Mambukal Resort,  Campuestohan Highlands Resort or to the tourist spots of Don Salvador Benedicto (DSB) where nature and adventure are one. (click here for DSB travel tips)
6. Go to local art galleries and appreciate or purchase Negrense art. 
7. Buy some tasty piaya at Pasalubong centers like Merzci Pasalubong, Bong Bong's, and more to bring back home.
8. To rest from street merrymaking, eat cake and buy some sweet pasalubongs at Calea's, Felicia's Pastry Shops or hang out and have some coffee talk with friends at Starbucks or Cafe Bob's. All shops mentioned here are located along Lacson strip. Note: If you are on a vacation but you need to finish an emergency work and needs privacy like in a Coworking Space with fast net and bottomless coffee, you may check ARENDO CoWorking along La salle Ave. with a 24 hour schedule from Mondays to Saturdays and til 7pm every Sunday. (Click here to visit Arendo's Facebook page for more info.) Arendo has bottomless local-made coffee, Mangkas Roast. 

9. If you love animals, see the Visayan Spotted Deer, Visayan Warty pig and more endemic animals at Negros Forest Ecological Foundation. You can donate also for the foundation to help protect these endangered species only found in Negros.  See Map.

10. Visit the Bacolod Government Center, the city hall of Bacolod, and its fountain area to have some photo sessions with friends or family. See Map.

11. Watch the MassKara Queen Beauty 2018 Pageant Live.

12. Go to carnivals, concerts and trade shows usually held at SMX

13. Malling (You can see Bacolod malls organizing their own MassKara Festival events, contests and mask exhibits where you can take your souvenir photos with. The malls usually  invite popular actors and love teams from GMA and ABS-CBN to grace the highlights of some product launching or promotional events during the MassKara Festival week.) 

14. For local souvenirs  and pasalubongs from shirts to keychains to handmade masks to delicacies, check out Association of Negros Producers' NEGROS SHOWROOM along Lacson st. in front of SEDA hotel. You may visit ANP's branches in Robinson's Place Bacolod and in SM Bacolod malls, too. Click here to Check out its Facebook here 

15. Fact: There's San Miguel Brewery in Bacolod to answer the demands of MassKara drinking binge. The downtown area, specifically the vicinity of Public Plaza, is Bacolod's answer to OctoberFest where beer flows nightly during the Festival. There's Bbq, lechon and other local cuisines in most of the kiosks, too. Drink and be Merry but Don't Drink and Drive... Pls. go home safe.

WHERE TO STAY DURING MASSKARA Month

MID Size hotels

Business Inn, Bacolod

Business Inn is a few meters away from the main hub of MassKara nightlife but its location is prime spot if you want drive down quickly to visit the Bacolod Public Plaza and San Sebastian Cathedral or eat at the Manokan Country or buy some pasalubongs at the SM Bacolod Mall.

L'Fisher Chalet

Just behind L'Fisher hotel and Lacson St., L'Fisher Chalet offers a wide bird's eye view of the city and the you'll get to witness a crowded fun-filled Lacson St. dring the Electric MassKara parade It has a gorgeous rooftop pool with a restaurant and massage. 

GT Hotel

If you wanted to be near Bacolod's landmarks, heritage and tourism sites and malls, GT Hotel is located near the Bacolod Cathedral, Bacolod Public Plaza, SM Mall, 888 Chinatown Square, Negros Museum, Capitol Lagoon and Negros Forest and Ecological Foundation, Inc.

Royal Am Rei Hotel

Royal Am Rei is just a stone's throw away from the L'Fisher hotel where the usual Masskara night crowd converged along this area. So, if you're already tired after some dancing and gulping heavy drinks, a 5 minute walk to this hotel which is just along 13th St. near MayFair Plaza,  is possible.

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PENSION type Inn

Saltimboca Tourist Inn

A popular place for travelers who are in a budget, Saltimboca, located at 15th st. is also near to the MassKara night hub plus some signature cafes like Starbucks, Cafe Bob's and cake shops like Calea and Cs. The festive interiors of Saltimboca at the reception area is even already enough to tell you that going in Bacolod means you have to fun too even you're in a work/vacation mode.

Bacolod Pension Plaza

Bacolod Pension Plaza is modest pension hotel that is literally a minute-walk to the Bacolod Public Plaza's landmark, the bandstand. From this venue also, you can easily go to SM Bacolod mall, Bacolod public market where you can buy some dried fish and other stuff like souvenirs made by hand, and also to 888 Chinatown Mall. You will also find yourself in Manokan Country, LCC Campus and San Sebastian Cathedral within a mere 12 mins walk or less than that depending on your pace, of course.

MASSKARA: WHAT IT MEANS and its HISTORY

The word MassKara is a portmanteau: a combination of the word Mass (People) and Kara (face) but as a whole it means mask, the typical object used for disguise, protection or for entertainment. It was coined by the late Ely Santiago, a popular Negrense artist, based from the Spanish version máscara.

Surprisingly, the history of MassKara is actually a bleak one. The sinking of M/V San Juan, a Negros Navigation luxury vessel where many Negrense passengers died, and the sugar crisis in the 80s put a gloomy atmosphere over the province of Negros specially its capital, Bacolod. Behind these dark cloud of infamous events, the birth of the festival was like a fresh ray of the sun and became an inspiration for Negrenses to be hopeful and be happy again. (continued below)

But for some, the creation of MassKara might sound a little controversial as it seems to be concealing one's sadness by masking it with a happy image: it's like a form of escapism of sorts. But despite this controversy or maybe irony, the initial reason of how it came to be is a blessing. The festival, indeed, is a proof of Negrenses' creativity and resiliency. Despite the sadness brought forth by tragedies, there's still room to smile and let heal wounds in the process. Through the years, with the continuous blessing and support of the people and the local government, the festival continues to live up to its legacy--by bringing smiles and hope to the people when challenges come.

The festival, inspired by the  combination of Germany's Octoberfest and Brazil's Mardi Graz, evolved into one of the major tourist attractions of the country for four decades. In the mid 2000s, Electric MassKara street dance event was added by the organizers and soon most people equate the Tourism strip as a hub for night life for the festivity, attracting many people from all walks of life as it added contemporary improvements to the usual activities that turned monotonous and brought the festival closer to hotels where most tourists stay. Then, at the east side, at the grounds and fountain area of the Bacolod Government Center, one can also find band stages, activities and roadside eateries.  

MAP OF TOURISM STRIP along Lacson St.